OF THORNS AND ROSES
by Lost Mercenary
Summary: 5 years after Meteor have passed. Peace was thought to have lasted. But a new strain of monster has arisen and has now started another war. But it's not the planet they want to destroy, it's only the human race. Rated for swearing!
1. Prolouge

Of Thorns and Roses  
  
By  
Lost Mercenary  
  
*I don't own any of the Final Fantasy VII characters*  
  
*Note: This first part isn't actually the beginning of the story it comes in later. This is a prologue*  
  
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"Tifa! Get Down!" yelled Cloud.  
  
She didn't even hesitate. Tifa threw herself to the ground as the Xentrador creature flung over her, in an almost successful attempt to kill her. She hadn't noticed the pain until now. It launched through her, a burning sensation eating at her senses. She could no longer concentrate on what was happening around her and now only the discomfort existed in her universe. Nothing else seemed to matter. Not even Cloud and how much she didn't want anything to happen to him. Even in this battle.  
  
Cloud's eyes darted and focused upon the hideous monster and he raised his Buster Sword and struck the Xentrador with an outraged form of aggression, light green blood spewed from its neck. He left its corpse and drew his attention towards the injured Tifa. He immediately presumed the worst had happened. Tifa looked at Cloud, whose face was riddled with red scars, blood dripping from the gashes in his forehead.  
  
With a burst of urgency, Cloud begins to sprint to his friend, heavy pain clinging to his leg muscles. The heaviness of his Buster Sword combined with the large amounts of fatigue made the approach more difficult. He was shouting her name as wave after wave of ferocious Xentradors barrelled into him, slowing his advance towards Tifa.  
  
He finally reached the wounded girl, and he kneeled down in order to pick her up. She was barely conscious but still alive. Cloud's stomach churns as he stares blankly at Tifa, whose eyes were closed, but frightened.  
  
A forceful jolt of immensely sharp pain tore through Cloud's right arm as a Xentrador sunk its fangs deep within his flesh, blood beginning to ooze from the punctured limb. Knowing that the creature was there, Cloud swings his sword while ignoring the pain as much as he can and thrusts it into the abdomen. A shrill screech echoed in Clouds ears as the beast began to die in agony.  
  
Now the pain finally engulfed him but he tried to stand firm. Cloud knew now that he couldn't pick Tifa up but it would be damned if he would let any one of these monsters near her.  
  
I won't le it happen, I won't!  
  
He could no longer see his allies. There were simply too many Xentrador and now they surrounded Cloud like vultures circling their prey. He now knew that his survival was no longer an option, but he might be able to save Tifa.  
  
The Xentrador charged at him with almost impossible speed, shrieking as they did so. Cloud kept swinging his Buster Sword with what little strength he had left in order to keep them at bay while all the while trying to ignore the sheer amount of pain in his injury. The creatures kept coming at him like the sea battering waves against a rock on a beach, though despite how many had fallen and there seemed to be no end in sight. The blood of his opponents was splashing all over him as he swung and sunk his blade into them. It carried a terrible scent, one so repulsive and overcoming that he almost couldn't concentrate on his current task. It was the scent of death.  
  
Tifa could hear the chaos that surrounded her and her fear began to overcome her. The cries of the monsters as they feel to the ground dying and their shrieks of determination to kill her and her friends. To kill... Cloud... Then the fear and terror within her escalated as the thought of the one she loved most was too terrible to bear.  
  
Please Cloud, don't die. Help me...please.  
  
Tifa began to feel herself moving. No, not moving. Dragged. She was being dragged away! She knew it couldn't be human. Whatever had grabbed her leg was too deformed and too warm and sweaty to be human. She wanted to yell, she wanted to scream but she couldn't.  
  
Cloud...help...  
  
"Damn it!" said Cloud, as he witnessed a Xentrador begin to drag Tifa away. He couldn't get to her though; more of them had gotten in the way. He swung desperately and tried to wrestle his way through them in order to get to her but it was futile. More and more Xentrador blocked his path making it impossible for him to get to her.  
  
"Tifa!" he yelled.  
  
Nothing... she couldn't hear him and now Cloud could no longer see her. She was gone.  
  
"Tifa!!!" 


	2. Old memory

Of Thorns and Roses  
  
By Lost Mercenary  
  
Note: Just a reminder. This is where the story actually begins. What you all read before was just a prologue and a taster of things to come. I'm evil and I love to leave you all in suspense HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  
  
Enjoy this first chapter.  
  
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Midgar...  
  
A city that never slept, a place of boundless energy and opportunity for all the young folk that came here. Living there would change your life for the better. Or at least that's what Shinra had said. In reality, only the rich and powerful had any opportunity. They all lived on the plate in luxury, while the others were left to rot in the slums like rats in a sewer. If you lived in Midgar you were already dead, even the rich, consumed by their greed. And for a long time this was true. But now it was a different story.  
  
Cloud stood at the edge of the summit, looking over the ruins of the giant city. His gaze was almost blank, like he was trying not to think, just staring of into the distance. But trying not to think about it all only made it easier for the memories to come flooding back to him. Zack's death, Tifa finding him at the train station, the attacks on the reactors, AVALANCHE and of course meeting Aeris. That memory stuck out most of all.  
  
Aeris...  
  
A tear started to run down the side of Cloud's cheek as he pictured her sweet face when he first saw her in Sector 8, right after the attack on Reactor 1. In all the chaos and panic that surrounded her she was still able to smile and be polite to the people around her, even the ones that knocked her down. She was a rose that bloomed out of a polluted soil. Every memory of her was a gift and one's that Cloud would treasure. All except one...  
  
*Cloud saw the cold steel slip into her rosy pink flesh. He saw her eyes, wide with surprise, begging for help. Slowly Sephiroth removed the blade from her with no sense of remorse in his eyes. Aeris fell, blood gushing from her wound almost as graceful as the way Sephiroth had killed her. Cloud lunged forward in order to catch her body.  
  
"Aeris!" he cried. He shook her gently in a futile attempt to revive her. Nothing...  
  
"This can't be real!"  
  
Sephiroth just stood there in his pride almost gloating at the unspeakable act he just committed. "Do not worry," He said. "Soon this girl will become part of the planet's energy. All that needs to be done is to go to the Promised Land that awaits for me over the snowy fields. Where I will become one with the planet as will this girl-"  
  
"Shut up! The life of the Planet and your stupid plan don't mean a thing! Aeris is gone. Aeris will no longer laugh, cry or get angry! What about us? What are we supposed do? What about my pain? My fingers are tingling, my mouth is dry, my eyes are burning!"  
  
Cloud's emotions and feelings for Aeris just erupted. The only time how he felt about her had been expressed was the one time that she would never be able to hear it. He cradled her body, hoping, wanting her to come back.  
  
Nothing...*  
  
The memory was a painful one. He would not be able to forget. The tear rolled off his cheek and fell to the ground by his foot. Cloud looked down to where it had landed and he saw something that he thought he would never see near Midgar again. A blade of grass. Cloud bent down towards it. After a short time staring at it, he smiled.  
  
*She's gone. But she will always be here.*  
  
He turned round, to look at the memorial. It was small and relatively simple and was the only thing that stood out within this area. It had one word engraved in it, Zack. Cloud built it to prove to his friend that he hadn't been forgotten and as a sign of respect.  
  
"Well Zack," said Cloud, "at least you and Aeris are together again." He hinted towards the new blade of grass, smiling as he did so.  
  
Cloud continued, "I know you may not be happy considering the way I felt about her, but that's not what I came here to talk about. What I wanted to say was that I can't keep burying myself in the past. Letting my experiences block my future, and not laying it out. So in order to go on, I'm... letting her go."  
  
It was painful to say that for Cloud, he had loved Aeris and he still did but she was gone. Nothing could bring her back and he had to face that. He rose from his kneeling position by the memorial and spoke to it one last time.  
  
"See ya, Zack."  
  
He turned then began to walk away, but Cloud stopped briefly then turned towards the grass blade. He smiled again.  
  
"Goodbye, Aeris."  
  
Cloud finally left, leaving his past behind and starting his life anew. But Cloud failed to notice something. Something in Midgar. There was a presence of some kind, stirring in the depths of the old ruins. Whatever it, or they was, it was moving slowly, quietly, hoping not to be noticed. Whatever it was, it gave off a sensation, a sensation unlike any person has sensed before.  
  
It was...evil...  
  
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I hope you enjoyed it. Ch2 up when I can.  
  
Please R&R. 


	3. The Highwind and the Cave

Of Thorns and Roses  
  
By Lost Mercenary  
  
*Note: I've hidden in an FF9 reference somewhere in this chapter. See if you can pick it out*  
  
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"Aw, shit!" cursed Cid Highwind.  
  
"What the hell's wrong?"  
  
"We don't know Captain. The engine just won't start up." Said one of the Highwind engineers.  
  
"Well I can see that. Isolate the problem and fucking sort it out!" Cid yelled.  
  
The engineer nervously nodded and walked back to the engineering deck onboard the Highwind. After 5 long years, after 5 years of scrounging up materials and equipment and making enormous repairs and upgrades, Cid's old ship was almost back together in one piece. During the conflict between Meteor and Holy the airship had taken quite a beating, especially when Cid was forced to dump most of the major components with the emergency lever when Holy had awakened. All that was left after that was the bridge, the engineering deck and a back-up engine. But even after the final battle the Highwind had taken massive damage due to the resulting shockwave and debris from Meteor so they were forced to make an emergency landing. Thankfully everyone had survived, but the ship didn't.  
  
But despite getting most of it up and running, it still refused to fly. There's always a malfunction or some other problem that needed fixing and it was going very slowly. Cid walked to an intercom panel and pressed the button indicating "Engine room".  
  
"Shera!" Cid almost screamed so loud that he needn't use the intercom. He was frustrated with his ship's malfunctions and he knew who to blame it on.  
  
"What the fuck is goin' on down there!?! Why won't this ship take off?"  
  
A young female's voice came over the speaker.  
  
"I'm sorry, captain. I had to take the engines offline. I noticed a small problem in the exhaust pipe and I wanted to correct it."  
  
Cid became a bit calmer now that he knew it wasn't really a problem with his ship, just a person. But he had the feeling that it wasn't about to last after he asked his next question.  
  
"What kind of problem?" spoke Cid.  
  
"A 2 percent drop in power." replied Shera.  
  
"YOU STUPID LITTLE SHIT!" Cid just lost it and blurted out with out even thinking. "2 PERCENT IS WELL WITHIN SAFETY LIMITS! NOW IF IT WAS 10 PERCENT THEN WE WOULD HAVE A "REAL" PROBLEM AND BE ROYALLY SCREWED, BUT NO, YOU HAD TO OVER ANALYSE AGAIN AND DELAY US EVEN MORE!"  
  
There was a brief silence before Shera replied. She sounded even more nervous now thanks to Cid losing his cool with her yet again.  
  
"I...I... I'm sorry. I'll sort it out right now." She stammered. Then she went off the intercom leaving Cid with his frustration.  
  
"Stupid women." He muttered. Cid remembered that despite the general annoyance that she caused him, Shera was a good engineer and he wanted all the good engineers that he could get. If the Highwind was ever going to fly again he would need her where she was and he was just going to have to put up it for now. Although she had been right before (with the Shinra 26's air tanks) that had appeared to have been just a one off.  
  
"I'd better check on the weapons". Cid said to himself. He went over to the new weapons console to run a few diagnostics.  
  
The Highwind (or rather the new one) had been fitted out with new state-of- the-art weaponry that had been recovered from the Shinra army. Cid decided that after the Holy/Meteor war that he wasn't going to take any chances with the future. He remembered an old philosopher who said, "The only dependable thing about the future is uncertainty." And Cid agreed with this dead on and decided to be prepared for the future. The new Highwind carried several Gatling gun turrets, Mythril armour plating, and 32 missiles shared between 4 launchers. Whatever would happen in the future Cid was going to be prepared for it, no matter what.  
  
* * *  
  
Vincent stood in the brightly lit cave, the cave where he had last met the women he loved.  
  
Lucrucia...  
  
He just stood there, doing nothing. His dark clothes, red cape and metallic claw gave Vincent the appearance of a demon, but no ordinary one. He could perform massive acts of barbarity if he wanted to, just like a proper demon. But Vincent had a conscience. It was beaten, torn and tortured in so many ways but it was still there, surviving. This was a trait that none of the monsters could ever have, they were incapable of it.  
  
Just gazing at the place where Lucrucia had last stood was enough to cause all sorts of pain in his heart. He had lost her not only once, but twice. The first time was unbearable, this time it was unliveable. If he could kill himself he would have done so long ago but Hojo had seen to it so that he couldn't. Vincent was no longer cursed with just his memories; he was cursed with his very life. His gaze remained focused on the stand where she had last been.  
  
Is she still alive? Vincent thought to himself. He didn't know. He could never know and that was what hurt him the most.  
  
He recalled his life memories. Almost everything he tried to do, he failed at. He had failed Lucrucia, he had failed Professor Gast and he had also failed himself. Vincent took out his Death Penalty and just stared at it with a narrow gaze. It had been a final gift from Lucrucia, before she had finally left to wherever she had gone.  
  
Tears began to flow from his eyes.  
  
He said to himself in a low voice, "Why must I always fail?"  
  
Vincent then threw himself to the ground in a fit of rage.  
  
"WHY MUST I ALWAYS FAIL!?!"  
  
His cry echoed threw the cave into infinity with no one else to hear it but himself. Tears flowed from Vincent like a stream and each drop fell to the floor gracefully and all he could focus on was the pain he felt within his heart. Because of this he had failed to notice the small sound of breathing coming from behind him. It was a raspy, ugly sound that sounded like it belonged in hell.  
  
But the second time, Vincent caught sound of it. He knew there was something behind him now, something not human. If it was a monster it would have attacked straight away and not wait to strike like what this thing was doing. He readied his Death Penalty and waited for the moment that he turn and confront the presence that was behind him. He waited like the hunter that likes to play dead so it can wait to strike at it's unsuspecting.  
  
He waited no longer. He spun round with great speed and aimed his weapon, only to find...nothing.  
  
"What the?" Said Vincent with some slight confusion in his tone.  
  
Then he felt and saw something wet drip onto the barrel of his gun from above. He slowly looked above, fear now beginning to rise within his soul, and saw something crawling on the wall above him, a monster of some sorts but none like he had ever seen before. Before Vincent could even flinch the creature fell and attacked with amazing speed.  
  
Vincent didn't get off a single shot when the creature begun to attack. Pain swept through Vincent's body and his screams echoed through the empty cave where no man could hear them.  
  
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What happened to Vincent? Hey! I'm not gonna tell you now. You'll have to wait and see.  
  
I hope you liked this chapter. Get ready for the next one!  
  
Please R&R. 


	4. Arrival and Descent

**Of Thorns and Roses  
**By Lost Mercenary  
  
_Previously on Of Thorns and Roses._  
  
There was a presence of some kind, stirring in the depths of the old ruins. Whatever it, or they was, it was moving slowly, quietly, hoping not to be noticed. Whatever it was, it gave off a sensation, a sensation unlike any person has sensed before.  
  
It was...evil... 

"What the hell's wrong?"  
  
"We don't know Captain. The engine just won't start up." Said one of the Highwind engineers.

Then he felt and saw something wet drip onto the barrel of his gun from above. He slowly looked above, fear now beginning to rise within his soul, and saw something crawling on the wall above him, a monster of some sorts but none like he had ever seen before. Before Vincent could even flinch the creature fell and attacked with amazing speed.  
  
Vincent didn't get off a single shot when the creature begun to attack. Pain swept through Vincent's body and his screams echoed through the empty cave where no man could hear them.  
  
(Crescendo)  
  
_And now the continuation..._

* * *

  
"Where did he go?"  
  
Tifa sat just outside of Kalm town on a small hill staring into the horizon. It was already nightfall and the sky was full of stars brightening up the whole landscape in a pale blue light. There was no noise, only silence, but at least it was peaceful. It was just like the same night 12 years ago, when Cloud and Tifa talked at the Well in Nibelhiem and made their promise together.  
  
She remembered the light blue clothes that she wore that night, the cool gentle breeze of the wind on her face and the starry night that made everything seem so calm and tranquil. And young Cloud who she didn't know that well back then but felt quite close to him after her fall at Mount Nibel and how he got blamed for it. Tifa remembered how special she felt after the two had made their promise and how she didn't want that feeling to go away.  
  
This was one of Tifa's most cherished memories of her past. She knew that she would never lose them but there was on thing that she was terrified of losing... Cloud.  
  
He had told her that he had to go to Midgar in order to see an old friend and that he had to go alone. She asked him not to leave, but all he had said before he went was that he had to go, with no real explanation of why. That was 2 days ago. It sure as hell didn't take 2 whole days to walk to Midgar and back again, it was quite a short journey, and now Tifa began to worry that something had happened to him. The one person who she cared about the most could be dead and he would have died without knowing how she truly felt about him. That was the most terrifying prospect of the whole thing.  
  
Just then, in the distance, Tifa caught a small sight of movement coming over the horizon. She couldn't make it out that well at first but as it got closer she could see that it was a human figure and as it got even closer she could begin to make out it's features. Tall, well-built, spiky-blonde hair and a gigantic-sized Buster Sword. It could only have been...  
  
It was Cloud! He was O.K.  
  
An overwhelming relief overtook Tifa as she saw Cloud walk towards her. It was a good feeling but this was soon taken over by a mixture of other emotions too. Excitement, joy, love, anger and an assortment of others, but no matter what she felt Cloud was alive and well and that meant more than anything else to her.  
  
Tifa jumped to her feet and immediately ran towards Cloud as fast as she could. Despite how all that sitting and waiting for him had left her legs feeling a bit numb she did her best to ignore it. It was irrelevant to her.  
  
"Cloud!" She yelled in delight as she ran towards him waving.  
  
Cloud had seen her waving and running towards him, so he waved back to her. A smile then spread on his face, as the thought of being home again with Tifa was very pleasant. He and Tifa had lived in Kalm Town now for nearly 4 years now and had become very attached to the place and it's residents. Both their other homes Midgar and Nibelheim were either destroyed or they contained too many bad memories for them to handle. Despite the fact that Cloud had now put his past behind him, it didn't mean that he could just forget it; so going to Nibelheim was more or less out of the question. His memories of the village burning into ashes, Sephiroth killing the townspeople like lambs for the slaughter, and how he had nearly killed Tifa.  
  
_Stop it, Cloud._ He thought to himself. _You're thinking too much again.  
_  
Cloud pushed the thought back and focused on what was happening now. He almost didn't notice Tifa because he had been so lost in his memories but when she hugged him so suddenly all he could do was focus on her. Then she spoke up, almost as if she was crying.  
  
"God, Cloud. Don't do that to me again!"  
  
"Don't do what?" he replied with some confusion.  
  
"Don't do what!?! It took you 2 days to go to Midgar and back, when it would take a normal person only a few hours. I was so worried that something had happened to you."  
  
Cloud could almost feel the worry that had been inside Tifa. While he was at Midgar he hadn't even thought about Tifa, or how she would feel about him being gone for so long. He knew that her biggest fear was to be alone and he didn't even take that into account. How could he have been so selfish?  
  
_Cloud, you idiot._  
  
"I'm sorry." He said. "I'm sorry I left you hear like that. But I had to go, it couldn't have waited. I had to settle something."  
  
Tifa let go of him from her hug and looked him in his eyes, while trying to hide her tears. They weren't tears of sorrow, they were tears of joy. Cloud was home, and that was all that mattered.  
  
"It's Ok." She muttered. "Come on. I'll fix you up a drink."  
  
They both walked towards Kalm town almost gracefully, taking their time, getting one last look at the starry night that reminded them of their promise.  
  
Little did they both know though, that something was watching them...

* * *

The creature swung at Vincent with great speed and agility, almost grazing his head. Just as well it missed or he wouldn't have had a head left. The attack caused Vincent to lose his footing; he tripped, and fell about 14 feet before hitting the next rough ledge on the mountain, with great force and discomfort.  
  
"Son of a bitch!" he yelled.  
  
The mountain was no problem for the monster. It crawled along it like it was a normal floor and it was still heading towards Vincent with such determination. Any other monster would have lost interest by now, but this one wasn't going to give up. Most of them acted on instinct but this thing was almost showing signs of intelligence.  
  
_Whatever this thing is it's no ordinary monster,_ thought Vincent.  
  
He pulled out the Death Penalty and fired at the creature in what little time he had to do so, but it had already moved to another vantage point and was still closing on him with no loss of speed whatsoever. The ledge beneath him crumbled away and Vincent began to fall with the remains of it. Pain shot through his body as he continuously smashed into rocks while continuing his rough descent. Blood oozed out of his wounds as sharp pieces of rock penetrated his skin causing deep cuts and incredible amounts of anguish for him to endure. It didn't last long though seeing as that Vincent was no longer on the actual mountain. He had been flung off the edge completely and now began to plummet.  
  
The creature lunged over the edge following Vincent. Wanting to make sure that it's prey had been taken care of. It remained focused on the goal it was given, not even caring for it's own survival.  
  
_Kill..._  
  
Both Vincent and the creature were falling through the air now. There were no more ledges or bits of mountain for him to land on, it was just him and the monster, and it was closing on him. There wasn't much time left before the creature would finally reach Vincent and finish him off but he'd be damned if that thing didn't die with him. Whether it was the fall or the monster he would surly not survive and neither would it at that. But he wanted to make sure that it would die first.  
  
It was only a few feet away now. Vincent cocked his Death Penalty, took aim...  
  
"Say, ah!"  
  
...and fired! The shrapnel from the gun cartridge soared through the air and headed straight for the monster. This time though it didn't miss. It caught it straight in the chest, and a deafening scream came from the creature as it began to die from the fatal wound it had suffered. Some of its blood caught Vincent in the face, despite the fact that he was also falling at an almost equal speed. It stank. It was repulsive, and this would be the final thing that he would smell before he died. Not flowers, not oiled machinery, not even normal air. It would be the remains of this stinking creature.  
  
Before he hit the bottom of the mountain, one final thought ran through his head.  
  
_Lucrucia..._  
  
And then, he hit bottom.

* * *

Well that's that Chapter. If your wondering "Where the Hell is this war that you promised in your summary!?!" you must be patient. You can't just have a war when you feel like it. Something small like this always leads up to it. But I promise when the war heats up finally, you'll be shitting yourself with excitement and anticipation. 

Oh, and please R&R this Chapter.


	5. Training at Wutai

**Of Thorns and Roses**  
_By Lost Mercenary  
_  
Note: Finally, the fifth chapter. I know, I know, you're all probably pissed off with me for taking so damn long, but never fear, Mercenary's here. And now I present to you "Of Thorns and Roses" chapter 5. Enjoy! 

* * *

Taking her Shrukin in hand Yuffie prepared herself for the battle that was immediately in front of her. Despite being outnumbered and clearly outmatched she knew that she had to do this in order to prove something to herself, and her father of all people.  
  
Surrounding her must have been at least 15 ninjas all with Katana blades at the ready. She could see the determination that filled their eyes. They glistened so brightly that it almost made them appear to have been infused with mako. They each gave her a stare that was similar to the one Cloud gave her when she stole the party's Materia. But no matter how they looked at her, she knew deep down they had a sense of fear within them. I mean they were going up against Wutai's finest (and youngest) ninja. They may have numbers in their favour but in terms of skill, that was an almost a different matter entirely.  
  
Yuffie knew that none of them were going to dare make the first move, these guys weren't stupid. They could wait all day, all week for that matter, and they wouldn't budge. It was because of some ancient technique that was taught to all ninjas. "If you see where and what your opponent is going to attack then you will always know where and how to defend it." Yuffie had never listened to this teaching, thinking it was for old fogies, and she would always draw first blood. More like a soldier than a ninja.  
  
The Shrukin flew out of her hand with great speed and soared straight for its target. Like all the other ninjas, he was prepared in case the first strike was aimed at him. He raised his Katana and managed to deflect Yuffie's incoming weapon but it came very close to getting him if he had made his move only an extra second later.  
  
"Let's dance." Said Yuffie.  
  
She quickly recovered her Shrukin and got ready to defend. Two ninjas came at Yuffie from both her flanks, but as their Katanas swung through the air to strike the young ninja all they met was her weapon. With great speed and agility the blades were deflected away which left both of the opposing ninjas open to an attack. Taking the immediate advantage, Yuffie hurled herself at the one to her left, and struck him with a kick to the chest. While still in mid-air she used the thrust of this move to deflect herself off the now falling opponent, twist round and kick the other ninja in the head with a massive blow. Yuffie landed the same time he hit the ground.  
  
All the other 13 ninjas did their best to ignore those eventful few seconds and everyone of them came at Yuffie with tremendous speed.  
  
"Aw, the rest of you want to play?" said Yuffie in a childish menacing way.  
  
She smiled even as the long sharp blades came swinging towards her. Using the Armlets on her wrists and her Shrukin in hand Yuffie blocked, defended or counter attacked all of the Katanas that came towards her. If it wasn't for her speed and expertise at Martial Arts this battle would already be finished. A ninja tried to swing for her legs but she jumped over it with ease and slashed the attackers arm in the process, leaving a trail of blood wherever he now went. Another hurled himself at her but missed, as she ducked just in time. That ninja landed on several other ones that were now on the ground, but were already regaining their composure. Yuffie dodged a blade that was coming in on a stabbing motion, which was heading right for her chest. She grabbed the sword, put herself in line with it and elbowed the wilder of it in the face, which sent him to the ground with a nosebleed that didn't seem to stop gushing.  
  
There was a brief pause in the fighting, just long enough to let Yuffie think.  
  
_Is this all they've got? I was expecting much more.  
_  
Yuffie had always liked a good challenge. After the war against Shinra and the battle with Sephiroth, this seemed like a walk in the park to her. If she was ever gonna lose a fight in her life it was sure as hell weren't going to be because of these guys. But these ninja's wanted to prove her wrong and she more than welcomed them to try.  
  
_Bring it on._  
  
She thought to herself, just as the remaining opponents regrouped themselves, preparing for another attack.

* * *

"That was pathetic."  
  
The cold harsh voice of Godo boomed into the large training room, which was now littered with unconscious or otherwise injured ninjas, thanks to Yuffies handiwork.  
  
"You lot reckon you have the right to bear the name Wutai ninja when you can't even beat my daughter? There were fifteen of you for God's sake!" Godo kept bellowing at his trainees telling them to get themselves off the ground and get their injuries sorted at the clinic. If he'd been a member of SOLDIER Godo would have made a great general. He had the right kind of voice for it. Yuffie knew that from experience with the constant arguments and fallouts that have had during he years.  
  
"Come on, give 'em a break dad!" Interrupted Yuffie. "They are new to the military after all. They just got out of basic."  
  
"Hey! I don't need you to tell me how to train my men!" he snapped back.  
  
Yuffie gave off a sarcastic laugh. "You? You train them? You have gotta be kiddin. I'm the one that has to fight them all the time. All you do is just sit on your ass and watch! Sometimes I think that's all you're good for!"  
  
"Why you little..."  
  
"Oh shit. Here we go again."  
  
Godo ran after his daughter, chasing her around the gymnasium sized training room determined to put his smart-ass girl in her place. Yuffie never did have much respect for authority and always had a knack for breaking, or just plain spitting on ancient Wutai tradition and that was what annoyed him the most. In instances like now he would more or less lose it with Yuffie and start chasing her and throwing things as well. He didn't do this just to try and put Yuffie in her place, but it also showed the men that if they crossed him they would have to go through this. Godo gave up after a few minutes and decided not to bother chasing his daughter anymore.  
  
_Give her a little time,_ he told himself. _Soon she might respect you_.  
  
Now, Godo had to get these new recruits for Wutai's Army trained and ready. But first he'd have to let them recover after their little "session" with Yuffie.  
  
Yuffie was breathing heavily, as she stood outside the Training centre with her hands on her knees, trying to regain her composure.  
  
"Damn, for an old fat guy he sure can run fast." She said to herself.  
  
It was now nighttime in Wutai. Besides a few of the military, most of the citizens were asleep. She liked it when it was like this. Peaceful and calm, which was kind of the complete opposite of Yuffie. A few members of the military who were chatting during the night watch only broke the quiet but Yuffie didn't mind as long as they weren't shouting. Wutai's military was more or less fresh out of the cradle and had only been around for a couple of years. Ever since the fall of Shinra Wutai had the chance to thrive again, and they weren't going to let this chance slip. Yuffie came up with the idea for a new army almost right after Meteor. She had known that the other major towns like Junon and Cosmo Canyon would try to fill the power gap but thankfully with her being so hasty Wutai was one of the first to fill it. Wutai was strong again, no longer oppressed by the Shinra, no longer some crappy resort town, Wutai was a major power.  
  
Hopefully, there strength would not need to be tested again. The last thing they needed was another war.  
  
"Yuffie!"  
  
The yell had made her lose her train of thought. Despite being annoyed about it she turned round to acknowledge that she had heard whoever had spoken her name. She saw a young ninja, about 15 years old, running towards her. By the way he was running it must have been pretty urgent whatever he had to say.  
  
"What is it, kid?"  
  
"Well, eh, apparently there was meant to be a supply convoy in this morning but it hasn't shown up all day." He said with a hint of nervousness in his voice.  
  
"And what has that got to do with me?" she replied, sounding a bit harsh.  
  
"Um, you're father decided for you to lead the team that has to find them."  
  
_That bastard!_ She yelled in her head. _If chasing me around the training centre wasn't enough! He has to send me off to find some idiots that have gone and gotten lost in the mountains!  
_  
Despite it being a right pain in the ass, Godo was head of Wutai and what he said, goes. He was her Superior and she had to follow orders, whether she liked them or not.  
  
"Fine! Let's go!" She said to the boy.  
  
She assembled a small unit of ninja's together, there weren't that many since it was the night shift and all, but it would have to do. They brought their Chocobos out of the barns and mounted themselves onto them.  
  
"Alright, you've all been told the mission. Let's go find that convoy, give them directions, and tell them to fuck off when they are delivering their goods."  
  
They was a quiet shared laugh amongst the men. Yuffie smiled at this. It was good to see some humour among the troops, even during a crappy mission like this.  
  
And with that thought she led them out of Wutai and into the night.

* * *

And there you have it. Chapter 5 is done and done. Good old Yuffie, I'll never get tired of that girl and the nightmares she causes.

Chapter 6 will be up as soon as I finish writing it.

Please R&R.


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